I found "The One", 2001 Sport Ed. TRD SC'd

Congrats on the little one. You guys are making me feel old. My daughters just turned 23 and 18 a while ago. Seems like just yesterday they were born. I guess I'm one of the older guys on the forum.

Congrats on successfully raising your two girls, Bandit! The years go faster as they come, that's for sure. Maybe the fact that you're a little older explains why you turn out such nice stuff. Your experience shows in your work.

What about a full-suspension little carseat with 4-point harness?

That's the ticket. Time to get the gerbil some caffiene and get the wheels turning.

Congrats on the kiddo man! Looks like you got your hands full now :D

How old are you btw?

Thanks alot ARKRWLR, hands full is a huge understatement. And, btw, I am 31 years old. I waited (what I consider) a long time before having my 1st kiddo, but I wanted to make sure I had all my ducks in a row first.

Wow congrats BFAD! I'm sure that she will grow up loving the outdoors and the balloon fiesta! :fishing:

Thanks! You betcha, I'm going to have her out in the woods just as soon as I can. She didn't get to see any balloons this year, but we'll see how she likes the special shapes next year.
 
Super extra congratulations man! To be honest, I'm as late as I am seeing this because I'm not on the site as much...because....of....my....KIDS! They are amazing, I never knew I could love a human being as much as I love my son and daughter. And the girls are definitely special. Grace is beautiful, but you knew that. :) Try to get that sleep, and again, congratulations and welcome to the parenthood club.
 
I'm way late to the party but congrats on your new arrival man, she's beautiful. While all the other girls are playing with barbies, she'll be out in the woods and learning to wrench on 4Runner's. I see a custom TRD car seat in the near future. Again, congrats man.
 
Congrats man on the lil girl! she is adorable!

I know one of the mods your gonna be working on soon though...exspecially cause you live in Arizona!! my lil girl and boy burns up in the back of my 4runner and my AC works GREAT...I cant wait to see if you figure out away to mod up AC vents for the lil ones in the back!!! Never have i understood why it only has heat for the back???
 
PS....beware of ZEBRA print! My lil girl LOVES IT! and as for the car seat mod...I took the straps on the back of the car seat & ran them over top the seats under the headrest and hooked it to the lil loop in the cargo area. It works great for me, and doesn't take very long. I know u probably are limited on-time and sleep!! CONGRATS MAN!
 
Super extra congratulations man! To be honest, I'm as late as I am seeing this because I'm not on the site as much...because....of....my....KIDS! They are amazing, I never knew I could love a human being as much as I love my son and daughter. And the girls are definitely special. Grace is beautiful, but you knew that. :) Try to get that sleep, and again, congratulations and welcome to the parenthood club.

Thanks for all the kind words, Dave! I'm glad to be a member of the club, and sleep is definitely a commodity these days.

I'm way late to the party but congrats on your new arrival man, she's beautiful. While all the other girls are playing with barbies, she'll be out in the woods and learning to wrench on 4Runner's. I see a custom TRD car seat in the near future. Again, congrats man.

Thanks, Tyler! She's definitely going to get the tomboy treatment, and she'll be able to hold her own on the water and in the garage... at the same time, I'm sure she'll be painting fingernails and shopping with Mom too. I'm thinking she'll be a balanced kid.

Congrats man on the lil girl! she is adorable!

I know one of the mods your gonna be working on soon though...exspecially cause you live in Arizona!! my lil girl and boy burns up in the back of my 4runner and my AC works GREAT...I cant wait to see if you figure out away to mod up AC vents for the lil ones in the back!!! Never have i understood why it only has heat for the back???

PS....beware of ZEBRA print! My lil girl LOVES IT! and as for the car seat mod...I took the straps on the back of the car seat & ran them over top the seats under the headrest and hooked it to the lil loop in the cargo area. It works great for me, and doesn't take very long. I know u probably are limited on-time and sleep!! CONGRATS MAN!

Thanks man!! I live in Albuquerque, NM, actually... but it's almost as hot here as it is in AZ. You guys give me too much credit sometimes... rear A/C probably won't make the short list, but it would be nice.

RE the zebra print, at this point I'd be cool with it. Everything people have given us is PINK! Barf!!! I'm going to burn all the pink so this little girl doesn't get that "girly girl" thing going.
 
Thanks man!! I live in Albuquerque, NM, actually... but it's almost as hot here as it is in AZ. You guys give me too much credit sometimes... rear A/C probably won't make the short list, but it would be nice.

RE the zebra print, at this point I'd be cool with it. Everything people have given us is PINK! Barf!!! I'm going to burn all the pink so this little girl doesn't get that "girly girl" thing going.

hahaha...WELL good luck with that brother (gettin rid of the pink) that is...because they make pink and black zebra print hahaha!!! i have a PINK car seat in my 4Runner, with 1 zebra print kids neck roll and another one that is pink!! LOL so good luck!! BFAD you dont have to me "mod"est on the credit! i remember when your build thread was my bookmark to T4R.org! LOL! i bet you can figure outta way to do rear AIR! and when you do plan on making 2 cause i am coming to Alburquerque!
 
hahaha...WELL good luck with that brother (gettin rid of the pink) that is...because they make pink and black zebra print hahaha!!!

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! :crybaby:

Thanks for the compliments man, and I'm glad to know the thread has helped you out along the way.

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Since this is a BUILD thread, after all, and not a BABY thread... Here's a few 4Runner related updates...

First, I added another factory cross bar to the roof rack. I wanted an extra one just to add a little versatility to the rack, and allow me to keep the front and rear bars at full spread front to back. With the shovel mounts setup the way they are, I've got to keep at least two of the cross bars within 33" of each other, while full spread is a little over 40".

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Second, I've always wanted to take another shot at creating a Satoshi based 96-98 grille, and at the same time I've never been a huge fan of the '01-02 style grille. That being said, I decided to give the '01 a nose job.

Something's missing... more details soon.

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Third, I finally got a chance to pick up my new welder!!! I'll go get a helmet and tank of gas later this week and start laying down some practice welds.

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Also, an UPDATE on the BOSS powered subwoofer... I love it. I've barely got it turned up and it provides a nice mellow level of bass tones that really even out & fill out the musical range in the 4Runner. I'd buy it again in a heartbeat. The only downside is that my stereo sounds so much better that I find myself listening @ louder volumes again. :bash:
 
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Haven't checked in in a while, I love that little sub, I may need to get me one. Thanks for all the details!

And I don't think this thread has enough congrats for being a father in it, so CONGRATS!

I'm leaving on my roadtrip this weekend, and I'll probably be passing through New Mexico sometime in January. Hopefully I'll finally run into ya at some point and you can help me figure out the best spots for fishing.
 
WOW! I've missed a ton around here! I totally forgot your wife was expecting! Congrats on the little whippersnapper! :)

As for the grill, looks like you're well on your way to a another successful mod! Can't wait to see what it looks like when it's done!

I'm working on another Satoshi of my own..... but on my Taco.... ;)
 
Awesome grille!

Seeing your grille has prompted me to put a grille mod on my to-do list, this Winter! Most fellow forum members, that have done this mod, have painted the grille black. I see you've painted it your trucks' colour.... it's going to look great!

By the way, your daughter looks awfully comfortable in the 4Runner!

I'm in the process of re-finishing some stock spilt spoke alloy rims I acquired for a song... I've already expended a significant amount of elbow grease and I'm starting to regret it...... they will look great, when I finish (hopefully before your daughter graduates....).....

Can't wait to see the grille finished!
 
Way to excited to see how this ends up!

Can't wait to see the grill finished. The silver mesh is a good choice. It's going look sleek.

Thats a nice mesh. Gonna be sweet!

OMG that's going to look good Nick! Great choice on the emblem too.... haha

Thanks guys, I can't wait to finish it myself. And Addison, don't worry man, I'll be sure to properly give credit where credit is due when I post the completed/install pictures. Your grille was definitely the inspiration for this one.

Haven't checked in in a while, I love that little sub, I may need to get me one. Thanks for all the details!

And I don't think this thread has enough congrats for being a father in it, so CONGRATS!

I'm leaving on my roadtrip this weekend, and I'll probably be passing through New Mexico sometime in January. Hopefully I'll finally run into ya at some point and you can help me figure out the best spots for fishing.

Thanks for the congrats, Stockwell! The sub was definitely a nice addition, but our Daughter was the nicest addition EVER! Send me a PM with your info (phone #, etc) and I'll return one w/mine. When you get a couple days out on your road trip just give me a call and we'll see what we can work out. I wish you safe travels, amigo.

WOW! I've missed a ton around here! I totally forgot your wife was expecting! Congrats on the little whippersnapper! :)

As for the grill, looks like you're well on your way to a another successful mod! Can't wait to see what it looks like when it's done!

I'm working on another Satoshi of my own..... but on my Taco.... ;)

You sure have, spending all your time on the taco muncher forum. Thanks for the congrats, though, and good luck w/your Satoshi.

Seeing your grille has prompted me to put a grille mod on my to-do list, this Winter! Most fellow forum members, that have done this mod, have painted the grille black. I see you've painted it your trucks' colour.... it's going to look great!

By the way, your daughter looks awfully comfortable in the 4Runner!

I'm in the process of re-finishing some stock spilt spoke alloy rims I acquired for a song... I've already expended a significant amount of elbow grease and I'm starting to regret it...... they will look great, when I finish (hopefully before your daughter graduates....).....

Can't wait to see the grille finished!

Thanks, Poleclimber! I had to go body color on the grille... there was just no other way that would look right, IMO.

The Kiddo loves riding in the 4Runners, but mainly because it's soothing and the ride puts her to sleep (which we appreciate, too). Re-finishing wheels is a major chore, I remember when I did my LC 80 wheels... it took awhile, and lots of elbow grease. Stick with it though, and I'm sure you'll be happy w/the end result.

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One more thing... Check this out!

What time is it? It's :party: time!!! I'm going to put it all together either this afternoon or tomorrow and start laying down beads on that box of scrap until I get the hang of it. :pimp:

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the Grille.......

First things first, I need to give a big shout out to Rickashay! Thanks for the inspiration on the new grille, and for answering all my questions. :bigok:

Rickashay's grille was the foundation for what I've done with mine, and he deserves some credit, so check out his build... it's full of awesomeness.

Rickashay's Build Thread - "The Dirt Duster"

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I started with a grille off a '96 4Runner that I bought @ my local U-Pull it scrap yard for $10. It was in pretty good shape, but had some cracks around the center section, and one of the mounting legs was cracked across the top. For $10, I figured I could afford to waste it if things didn't work out.

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First I took the chrome off, which is challenge. I did it by cutting along a corner on the edge of the chrome section, exposing the lip of the chrome. I got it started with a box cutter blade, then peeled the chrome back in sections. After that it was onto the bondo work.

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After all necessary repairs were made (using epoxy), and the bondo work was complete, I hit it with a couple coats of adhesion promoter, and then a few layers of base silver. The base coat was Dupli-Color "Perfect Match", and I just picked an approximate shade of silver.

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The emblem got a fresh coat of black between the letters, and I left the rest factory Chrome... (I bought 2 in case I fubared one of them)

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Next it was on to the final color coat. NAPA Auto Parts has a paint store here in town that will custom mix paint by the can that is (nearly) identical to many factory colors. You give them your VIN, and they mix you a can of paint. In case you've ever wondered what makes up Millenium Silver:

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I ordered the mesh from Customcargrills.com (thanks again to Rickashay for the link). I called ahead and spoke w/the Owner, Matt. He was super helpful, answered all my questions, and didn't rush me off the phone. I'd give him repeat business in a heartbeat.

Before installation, I applied several coats of clear enamel to the aluminum grille material to prevent corrosion.

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The remainder of the construction I did not photograph. Cutting the grille material was a challenge. I would not attempt it without an angle grinder (a jigsaw would have worked too, just much slower). I used shears to cut the rough shape, but they bent the material horribly and had I used it for the final trimming I would have ruined the grille material. Precise cutting w/a grinder was the only way to get it done in a reasonable amount of time.

At last, it was finished...

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(Ignore the battery charger in these photos... The Baby has been taking up so much time I haven't been able to drive the '01 in 3 weeks and the alarm killed the battery.)

Before...

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After...

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Before...

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After....

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:naughty:

Anyone with a keen eye will notice that I did not leave the hood scoop unattended. The factory grille material in the scoop is black. A mismatch would be criminal. Cutting the section for the hood scoop was simply a painstaking process of cut, test, cut, test, cut, test.....

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I cut it a tad larger than the factory mesh, and simply zip tied it in place. When you're inches away, you can of course see the factory grille behind the new silver grille, but from a couple feet away the silver pops so much that the black factory grille disappears into the background.

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BUT... black zip ties are no good, especially on a silver background, so I made the zip ties silver.

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I didn't want the wiring for the IPF's to rub off the paint on the lower section, so I used some mounting bases and zip ties to secure the wires down low, enabling them to pass below the grille without interference.

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Fully installed, and looking down from the top, all the clearances behind the grille look like stock. You can see where I had to repair the support/mounting leg on the top RH side, a bead of epoxy is visible under the paint.

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As of yesterday afternoon, it was finished...

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